TY - JOUR
T1 - Viral glycosphingolipids induce lytic infection and cell death in marine phytoplankton
AU - Vardi, Assaf
AU - Van Mooy, Benjamin A.S.
AU - Fredricks, Helen F.
AU - Popendorf, Kimberly J.
AU - Ossolinski, Justin E.
AU - Haramaty, Liti
AU - Bidle, Kay D.
PY - 2009/11/6
Y1 - 2009/11/6
N2 - Marine viruses that infect phytoplankton are recognized as a major ecological and evolutionary driving force, shaping community structure and nutrient cycling in the marine environment. Little is known about the signal transduction pathways mediating viral infection. We show that viral glycosphingolipids regulate infection of Emiliania huxleyi, a cosmopolitan coccolithophore that plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. These sphingolipids derive from an unprecedented cluster of biosynthetic genes in Coccolithovirus genomes, are synthesized de novo during lytic infection, and are enriched in virion membranes. Purified glycosphingolipids induced biochemical hallmarks of programmed cell death in an uninfected host. These lipids were detected in coccolithophore populations in the North Atlantic, which highlights their potential as biomarkers for viral infection in the oceans.
AB - Marine viruses that infect phytoplankton are recognized as a major ecological and evolutionary driving force, shaping community structure and nutrient cycling in the marine environment. Little is known about the signal transduction pathways mediating viral infection. We show that viral glycosphingolipids regulate infection of Emiliania huxleyi, a cosmopolitan coccolithophore that plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. These sphingolipids derive from an unprecedented cluster of biosynthetic genes in Coccolithovirus genomes, are synthesized de novo during lytic infection, and are enriched in virion membranes. Purified glycosphingolipids induced biochemical hallmarks of programmed cell death in an uninfected host. These lipids were detected in coccolithophore populations in the North Atlantic, which highlights their potential as biomarkers for viral infection in the oceans.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70449413844&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=70449413844&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1126/science.1177322
DO - 10.1126/science.1177322
M3 - Article
C2 - 19892986
AN - SCOPUS:70449413844
VL - 326
SP - 861
EP - 865
JO - Science
JF - Science
SN - 0036-8075
IS - 5954
ER -